What Really Matters
by HalfwaytoNowhere142
Summary: COMPLETE: Ziva is hurt during their work at NCIS and it causes Tony and the rest of the team to realize how much they value her. DISCLAIMER: I don't own of these characters or the show.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: What Really Matters

Tony walked into the bullpen at NCIS, humming a Frank Sinatra tune. His noticeable smile and the swagger to his walk caused Mcgee to glance up from his computer.

"Big night, Tony?"

Tony smirks. "I never kiss and tell, Probie." He powers up his computer and leans back in his chair while putting his feet up on his desk like he doesn't have a care in the world.

Ziva snorts as she hears the conversation. "You, Tony? You always tell."

Tony grins. "No I don't, Ziva. Besides, _you_ probably don't have anything to tell."

Ziva throws her pencil at him right as Gibbs walks into the bullpen. The pencil lands on the bulletin board behind Tony's head, barely missing the mark.

"David! How many times do I have to tell you not to impale Dinozzo?"

"Sorry, Gibbs." She smirks at Tony, who's definitely more scared than before, before turning back to her work.

The phone rang just as Gibbs sat down at his desk.

He sighs. "Gibbs..." He listens for a moment and then hangs up. "Gear up! Dead marine near an abandoned warehouse."

Tony groans. He is so close to beating his high score on phone Tetris. Everyone races after Gibbs, who was already almost to the elevator, and Tony is last. Again.

"Hey Ziva! Maybe on the way there I can tell you about what I did last night. It was a pretty amazing performance..." He waggles his eyebrows at her until he feels a sharp pain to the back of his head as Gibbs head-slaps him.

"Sorry boss."

Everything changed that day. It was "funny" how he had worried earlier about winning phone Tetris, when now nothing mattered except this. Maybe this was all that had really mattered, but he just couldn't see it until now.

He hadn't realized it when they were about to break into the abandoned warehouse.

He hadn't realized it as he teased both Ziva and Mcgee about their lack of love lives right before they walked through the warehouse doors, with their guns at the ready.

He hadn't realized it on the way there, as he stared silently (for once) out the window as he tried to remember the name of a movie he watched earlier this year.

But he finally realized it when it happened. After that, nothing else mattered.

All these thoughts were racing through his mind as his legs carried him through the hospital at top speed.

At that moment, the only thing that mattered, that had ever mattered, was on his mind.

"Ziva", he whispered as he neared the emergency ward.


	2. Chapter 2

Light, sweet light. It wasn't coming towards her as they had always said. No, instead it was all around her. It seemed to reach out and fill her from within. It was beautiful. It was peace. And peace was something she hadn't felt in a very, very long time.

NCIS-

He races to the front desk of the emergency ward. He is so out of breath that he can barely speak, but he doesn't care. He has to see her now.

"Ziva... Da.. Vid.. Where... is.. she?" He huffs.

The nurse gives him a look somewhere between 'should I call security' and 'aw, I feel really bad for what you're going through.' She smiles at him and tells him that Ziva has already been examined and worked on by the doctors and she's currently in a private room.

"Can... I see... her?" The nurse continues to smile at him while she says no. Tony begins to wonder if she ever stops smiling. "Why not?" He's told that apparently he's not family so he can't see her which is bullcrap. He needs to see her. He loves her. He knows that now. The nurse, however, continues to refuse any attempt of his to get through the doors, so he walks away and sits down to wait until he can see her during visiting hours.

He hasn't been waiting very long when his phone rings. "DINOZZO! Where the hell are you?" Gibbs, short-tempered at his best, is indescribably freaking out at the moment.

"Uh... in the emergency room, Boss. They won't let me see Ziva because I'm not family. I tried telling the nurse at the desk that Ziva doesn't have any family here but... So, I'm waiting until visiting hours."

"Dinozzo, did I give you permission to leave the crime scene?"

Crap. "... No? Sorry, Boss. It won't happen again."

"That's not the answer I wanted, Dinozzo. Your partner was in danger. Of course I expected you to leave. But next time, tell me first that you're going to leave. Or I will personally take your badge."

Crap again. "Sorry, Boss."

"And Dinozzo?"

"Yeah?"

"Take care of her."

"Will do." He hangs up the phone and puts his head in his hands. Great. He was in such a hurry to get to Ziva since they wouldn't let him in the ambulance that he left without saying anything to Gibbs. _Real bright, Dinozzo._ He sighs and takes a sip of his coffee, but as he puts it back down, the lid slips off and he spills a little on his very expensive shirt. _Great._ Could this day get any worse?

Don't answer that, he tells the Big Man upstairs. He's been talking to him all night, even though he usually doesn't try to bother the Big Guy. But tonight, this isn't about him. It's about Ziva. Already scarred, but still remarkably beautiful, Ziva.

**Hola people. I kind of doubt that anyone's going to read this story, but who knows? This is my first story, but I'd love all the constructive (meaning nice) criticism I can get. Give me ideas for my story and I'll consider including them. I really have no idea how long it will be. Yep... Also, I don't know how often I update but I promise to not make it too drastically long in-between... maybe? And, I doubt I will be following the actual episodes in order although I might reference from time to time, so don't expect that. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer that I forgot to put earlier: I don't own any of these characters. If I did, Tony and Ziva would be married already (or at least, dating, c'mon!). And Jenny wouldn't have died. And there would be a lot more Abby in the show. That is all.  
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**Thanks to anyone who put an alert on my story and/or reviewed! The rest of the chapters will be longer than the first two. And I intentionally made it confusing in the beginning to add to the mystery and because I'm still deciding myself what happened to Ziva :)  
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NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS

A small figure, with a smile on her face, is walking closer. "Tali? What are you doing here?"

"No, the question is what are you doing here?" For some reason, the question makes Ziva want to cry. And Ziva never, ever cries. She doesn't remember how she ended up here. _Where is here, anyway?_

"I cannot remember. Can you tell me?" Her sister does not reply, but simply smiles at her and takes her hand. Ziva sighs at the comfort. "Tali?" Her sister doesn't answer.

"TALI!"

Suddenly, she's gone. And nothing but blackness remains.

NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS

"C'mon, Ziva. Wake up already! You can't do this to me again. We need you. Please." Tony sighs at her lack of response. The doctors told him she's in a coma from blunt force trauma to her head. At first, he was tempted to ask them if they were joking. A coma? Ziva, the assassin-ninja, knife-crazy chic who wields a gun even under her pillow? Their Ziva? His fearless Ziva who could probably shoot with her eyes closed? A thousand bullets and bad guys hadn't stopped her but a coma? Yeah, right. But apparently, she really was in a coma. A serious one.

"Look, Ziva. I need you to wake up. Seriously, ninja-chick, you freaked us all out and it's time for this to end. Please... please. Come back to me. If you left us, I don't know what I would do. I would miss the movie nights where you groan about whatever movie I pick but secretly enjoy it. I would miss teasing you. I would miss you. The truth is, I uh... I love you, Ziva. I have for awhile now but I was just too chicken to say it." He sighs because even the declaration of his love for her doesn't cause a response. It does, however, cause a response from someone else who just walked into the room.

"I KNEW IT!" In two seconds, a huge something made out of black material is flying at him.

The familiar scent of chemicals that belongs only to Abby envelopes him. "Oh, Tony. I'm sooo happy for you guys. I can't wait until Ziva wakes up! You HAVE to propose! I'm so going to videotape this. It will be epic."

She pulls back from him and grins before she glances at the bed, which causes her face to sober. "Oh, Ziva." He smiles at Abby's obvious love for his teammate, remembering how the two hated each other when Ziva first started working at NCIS. He's so lost in his memories, in fact, (this whole coma-tragedy crap has made him a little sentimental, but he would never admit that), that he isn't prepared for the punch to his upper arm.

"OW! What the heck was that for, Abby?" He turns from the window to look at Abby who is no longer grinning at him and is alternating between wringing her hands, drinking Caf-Pow, and pointing her finger menacingly at him. "Don't think I've forgotten, _Anthony_ Dinozzo, that you and Mcgee and Gibbs all forgot to call me right away when Ziva was hurt. I was working away in my lab, doing what I was supposed to do, like a good little Abby, but did anyone bother to call me and let me know? Nooo.. Why would they do that? Clearly, I wouldn't worry about my teammates being killed or kidnapped or whatever the hell happened to Ziva! Especially not after Kate was killed that time, or we all thought you were dead from the car explosion, or after McGee got framed... and you got framed and Ziva got framed.. Nope. Why would I freaking worry at all after all that's happened to this team? I'm so ashamed of you Anthony Dinozzo! How could you do this to me? I needed to know but you-"

"ABBY!" He grabs her arm to prevent her from taking another sip from her Caf-Pow. She's already worked up enough without the extra caffeine.

"I didn't think to call you, okay, Abs? Of course you're worried, because we're all worried. I'm sorry. My only focus was to get to the hospital and see Ziva to make sure she was okay. You just heard me declare my love for her so obviously I'm a little preoccupied. And don't you dare tell Gibbs or McGee."

Abby tilts her head as if deciding whether she should still be mad at him. She sighs and then hugs him. "Okay. But do that again and I will slip something in your morning coffee that will make you wish you had never gone to work that day."

Gibbs walks into the room at that moment. The man has incredible timing as always. He throws his already empty coffee cup into the trash basket and rakes his hands through his silver hair. He looks worn out from the events of today. "Threatening people again, Abby?"

She smiles innocently at Gibbs. "Hi Gibbs. Just reminding Tony that I deserve to know what's going on too."

Gibbs nods but says nothing more. Tony takes the opportunity to ask the question that's been bothering him. "Where's McGee, Boss?" Gibbs glances at him to assess whether Tony's okay before replying.

"He's manning things back at NCIS. He wanted to visit Ziva at the hospital right away but I told him I needed him there. He'll be visiting later on tonight."

"Is he working on our new, uh, case?" Tony has a difficult time talking about the new case. It's what caused Ziva to be in this position in the first place.

His boss replies sarcastically, "No, Dinozzo. I just wanted to keep him there for the heck of it. Yes. He's working on the case."

_Whoa. Guess I'm on his bad side today. Ziva was always his favorite, anyway. _"Sorry, Boss. That was a stupid question. Is there anything I can do from here?"

Gibbs doesn't reply because he's too occupied with looking at Ziva. He studies her as if somehow his stare alone will cause her to wake up. Because he's Gibbs and Ziva always follows Gibbs' orders. Tony's convinced that if anyone's glare can wake Ziva, it's Gibbs' famous stare. He studies Ziva as well. She looks pale and a bandage is wrapped around her head. Her right arm is in a sling as well. It's all his fault and he knows it. He should've done a better job of protecting her, like she had protected him so many times in the past. He should've been there for her, like she's always there for him.

Abby looks at Tony and Gibbs. Clearly, both men are lost in their thoughts and regret over what they failed to prevent today. She, too, does not feel like herself. She's been wringing her hands, her nervous trait, ever since she found out. And she drank two Caf-Pows in a half-hour in an attempt to 'kill' the nerves, but that only seemed to make the shaking in her hands worse. Although, the Caf-Pows did give her enough strength to get past the nurse at the front desk. Either that or her yelling about how important Ziva was to her did it. But she still doesn't know what happened and she's getting annoyed and is beyond confused. "Well... Is anyone ever going to tell me what happened?"

Gibbs snaps out of wherever he goes in his mysterious mind. "I need coffee." He walks out of the room without another word.

Tony smiles weakly at Abby. She's going to kill him after she finds out what happens. _Of course, I'm already planning on killing myself for letting Ziva down._ "It all started this morning..."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS.**

**Hey guys, so I know I just posted Friday, but I couldn't wait to post this chapter. Thanks for the reviews - keep 'em coming!  
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Recap Tony is explaining to Abby what happened to cause Ziva to be in a coma: "It all started this morning..."

After Gibbs told them they had a new case near a warehouse in their district, the team set out. They arrived quickly at the scene, thanks to Ziva's crazy "so-called" driving. Her driving was so reckless that Tony was convinced he was going to throw up by the end of the ride. Luckily, though, he made it without becoming sick. Barely.

Once they arrive at the abandoned warehouse, McGee and Gibbs had already left to walk to the front entrance where the body was supposedly found by the witness, who had been out for a morning jog when she found the body. Meanwhile, Ziva and Tony are unloading the crime scene equipment from the back of the NCIS van.

Tony sniffs in the brisk October air as he removes the camera bag from the van. "Ahhh. Don't you just love fall, Ziva? The cool, brisk air and the bright sunshine. The colorful leaves on the trees..."

Ziva glances sideways at Tony as she grabs the numbered markers they use to document evidence. "You played a prank on McGee again, didn't you?"

He grins. "Yep. Put superglue on the inside of his NCIS hat. That will teach him to make fun of my movie references like he did last week."

"Does that mean you pranked me as well, Tony? Because I too made fun of you."

He grins again. "Yep."

She smiles at him and leans her face so close to his that he is drowning in her beautiful eyes and can smell her curly, raven hair. It smells faintly of lilacs and the unique scent of Ziva. He resists the urge to tuck back a wayward curl behind her ear. She smirks at him as if she's aware of what she's doing to him, but Tony knows she has no idea that he really cares for her a lot. He wishes he could tell her, but now is not the time. Now is never the time. He snaps out of his sappy, sentimental thoughts as he hears her response. "Well, I don't recommend pranking me anytime soon, considering that I am driving us back to NCIS. Like they say, those who play with fire, get their goose cooked."

He groans. "No. The saying goes: 'those who play with fire get burned'. Wait, what the heck, Ziva? Why is Gibbs letting you drive so much lately? What are you blackmailing the poor man with? Did you steal his bourbon? Are you getting him coffee every morning? Threatening to sneak into his creepy, dark basement at night and destroy his precious boat? The very bane of his existence?" He laughs slightly, but sobers as he sees Ziva's smirk as she glances behind him. "He's standing right behind me, isn't he?"

"Yep." Tony feels Gibbs head-slap him. "You done, Dinozzo?"

Tony winces at the pain in his head. "Yes. Sorry, Boss." He turns around to see both Gibbs and McGee standing behind him and Ziva. "So, McInvestigator, where's the body?"

McGee looks less than happy and he's glancing at Gibbs like he's worried Gibbs is going to blow up in anger. "Uh, we can't find it, Tony."

"What?" Ziva looks as confused as Tony feels.

Gibbs sighs. "The body's not in front of the warehouse anymore. The witness has disappeared. There are ragged marks of blood on the ground, like the body's been dragged into the building."

"Great, just great." Ziva looks at Gibbs. "So, are we going in?" Tony knows she's really looking forward to a little excitement. They haven't had a new case in a while; in fact, they've been working on cold cases since Monday, and it's Thursday today. Three straight days of the boring paperwork associated with cold cases would drive anyone crazy, but especially action-loving Ziva. Of course, he could give her a different type of action...

Gibbs glares at Tony, as if knowing what he's thinking. "David, Dinozzo, you two enter the warehouse from the back. McGee and I will enter through the front. Everyone make sure you have your earpieces. Once every room's clear, we'll search for the body."

McGee's eyebrows furrow. "Once every room's clear? You mean, you think someone might be in there, Boss?"

"Nooo, McGee, I think the body dragged itself into the warehouse."

McGee grimaces while Tony and Ziva bite back laughs. As McGee starts walking with Gibbs toward the front of the warehouse, Tony pulls on McGee's arm to hold him back a second. "C'mon, McHoudini, stop messing with us and tell us what you did with the body." McGee just rolls his eyes and runs to catch up with Gibbs, who hates being kept waiting.

Tony and Ziva head toward the back entrance of the warehouse. Tony grins at Ziva. "So, when do you think McGee will figure out that I put superglue on the inside of his hat?"

He suddenly hears a groan over his earpiece. "What the heck, Tony? You superglued my hat?" He hears McGee grunting as the poor man tries to take off his NCIS hat.

Tony grins, imagining how ridiculous McGee looks right now. "Oops. Forgot you could hear us on the earpieces, McGee. Sorry."

Ziva snorts. "You are not." She looks up in time to see Tony shrug.

"Well, Ziva, it's the thought that counts, after all. At least I thought to say sorry to him."

"You have a very twisted mind, Tony."

He grins as they reach the back entrance to the warehouse and take positions opposite of each other on either side of the door, guns at the ready. "At least I have a love life. Of course, you're more than welcome to join-"

"DAVID! DINOZZO! Are you done playing grab-a** so we can enter the building already?" Gibbs sounds really annoyed.

"Sorry, Boss. We're ready when you are."

Gibbs grows in response. "'Bout time, Dinozzo. Let's go. On the count of three. One, two... three!" Ziva and Tony look at each other and Ziva nods at Tony. He kicks down the door and keeps his gun up, looking for anyone who might be in the room. "This room's clear, Boss."

He can hear McGee over the earpiece. "Clear here! We'll go to the next room. From what I figured out of the layout of this building on my phone as I hacked into the city databases while we were waiting for you two to get into position, is that you two have two more rooms to go through while we have three. We'll meet in the main room and then search for the body if we haven't already found it. You'll know the main room when you see it."

"Got it." Ziva glances at Tony and then they walk to the doorway of the next room. Ziva nods at Tony, and he kicks down the door. They move swiftly into the room, with their guns in front of them. Tony is just about to shout 'clear' when he sees something that gives him a reason to pause.

"Help.." The weak voice comes from a little girl on the floor, whom Tony and Ziva can just see due to the faint sunlight from a window nearby illuminating the dusty room. Tony and Ziva rush over to her and kneel down. She has a trail of blood running down from a gash in her head, and her left leg is twisted at an odd shape, like it's broken.

Ziva swiftly checks her pulse and her worried look tells Tony that it's weak and erratic. Tony fleetingly wishes that the people who beat up this poor little girl were still here, so he could beat them himself within an inch of their lives.

Suddenly, Tony hears a noise coming from somewhere near a huge stack of wooden crates. There are multiple stacks next to each other, creating a library like atmosphere with aisles between each row. They're stacked floor to ceiling and concealing whoever or whatever made the noise. Ziva glances up in alarm, her ninja-senses ever alert. She motions for Tony to stay by the girl and protect her, while Ziva investigates the mysterious noise. Tony hesitates as he watches Ziva's lithe, gorgeous form stand up. He doesn't want her to go into those dark alleys between the stacks of crates alone. He starts to stand up and go with her, but she hisses and whispers for him to sit back down, adding in a Ziva glare for good measure to convince him. _Man, she's beautiful when she's pissed. _His mind goes back to another time when she was especially angry with him during an undercover case in which they had to share a bed... A whimper from the scared little girl reminds him where he is and he murmurs words of comfort to her while anxiously watching Ziva walk toward the crates alone.

He hears her shout and a gunshot. He immediately stands up and rushes towards her, but before he makes it, he sees two other men on the outside of the stacks of crates, near where Ziva is. The men begin to pull out many of the bottom crates, effectively toppling the stack onto Ziva. He shouts as he races toward them, shooting his gun, while they shoot back at him, with Gibbs and McGee shouting for him to hold on because they're coming...

But Tony tunes everything out except one thing, one person: Ziva. She hasn't yet emerged from the pile of crates that toppled on her and Tony is concerned, because Ziva always gets back up. She has never stopped fighting, until now.

His thought is sidetracked as one of the men who pushed over the wooden crates runs toward him with a knife. He effectively sidesteps the man, turns around, and shoots him in the back. He hears a shout as he feels a bullet fly past his ear.

"DINOZZO, LOOK OUT!" McGee's shot hits the man who was rushing Tony from behind, about to shoot Tony. He feels disbelief overflow him. _McGee saved my life! Oh no! McGee saved my life? Now I'm going to have to follow him around and make this up to him. Wait, I superglued his hat! _As soon as an out-of-breath McGee catches up to him, he clamps a sweaty hand on McGee's shoulder. "Mclifesaver, I vow to never, ever play a prank on you again. I swear."

McGee rolls his eyes. "Sure, Tony. I'll remind you of that next week when you do something else to my favorite hat, or my keyboard, or my computer..."

"DINOZZO! MCGEE! GET THE HELL OVER HERE!" It's then that Tony remembers: Ziva. He rushes to Gibbs, who has already confirmed that both bad guys are dead and is removing the crates that are covering Ziva's form. _I can't believe I forgot, even for a moment, what happened. I'm sorry, Ziva._

McGee begins to help Gibbs remove the crates, but it isn't until Tony helps that they make any real progress. He's picking up crates with a superhuman force at a frantic pace, because the woman he cares about may be seriously hurt. And it's all his fault. When they finally uncover Ziva's unconscious form, Tony groans as if he can feel her pain. Gibbs checks Ziva's breathing and confirms that she's just unconscious. Tony knew that already - if Ziva had died, Tony knew he would have felt it, because she held his heart in her hands. If she were suddenly gone, then his heart would surely disappear too.

He sits awkwardly on a crate near Ziva and covers her with his coat. He strokes her hair and whispers apologies for failing her. He hears McGee in the background, calling 911 and asking for an ambulance. He tunes McGee out and focuses only on Ziva: her scent, her beautiful face and skin, even with the gash on her cheek from a crate, and how very, very sorry he is that this happened to her. He doesn't even care that Gibbs is watching him and realizing that Tony loves Ziva. And that Tony has loved Ziva for a very, very long time. Tony only cares about the one thing in his life that matters, that has only ever mattered: his one and only Ziva.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own NCIS. And I don't own these characters. And I may own an awesome boat if Gibbs decides to give one to me.**

"After that, the ambulance came and picked up Ziva, bringing her to the hospital. They wouldn't let me come along so I jumped in the NCIS car and sped away. Gibbs wasn't very happy that I left like that without telling him and probably because I just took the only car we brought, effectively stranding Gibbs and McGee."

Abby finally meets his eyes. She stands up and puts her hands on her hips and Tony knows that she's angry. _This is going to be bad._

"She's your partner, Tony! How could you just let her go into some old, dark part of the warehouse without helping her? I can't believe that. It's your job to protect her, Tony, and you failed. You know better than that. Would Ziva have let you go fight off a bunch of creepy, bad guys on your own? No, because you're partners! Partners protect each other... I can't believe you!" With that, she catches Tony completely off-guard by trapping him in a big bear hug. "But I forgive you because I know you love her."

"Thanks, Abs." He revels in the comfort of her arms as she continues her death-grip on his neck, when he suddenly hears, an "ahem."He looks up to find McGee standing there and looking uncomfortable at the sight of Tony and Abby in an embrace.

Abby lets him go and rushes towards McGee. "Timmy!" She envelops McGee in a hug while McGee gently pats her back, clearly enjoying the contact with Abby. Tony knows that McGee still secretly loves her. McGee manages to disentangle himself from Abby and walks cautiously towards Ziva's bed. McGee's eyebrows draw together in a frown as he sees Ziva's awful condition. Tony sighs as guilt overwhelms him again. _This is all my fault._ He suddenly feels a sharp pain to the back of his head and looks up to find the piercing eyes of none other than Leroy Jethro Gibbs assessing him sharply.

"Stop blaming yourself, Dinozzo. What's done is done."

"Sorry, Boss. Work done for the day?"

"Yep. Just thought I'd check on Ziver."

He watches as Gibbs walks over to Ziva's bedside and stares down at her with an expression somewhere between that of a fatherly love and that of regret for not being able to stop her from being hurt. Tony's gaze moves to Tim and Abby, who are once again hugging to comfort each other. He wishes Ziva would wake up.

"Please, Ziva, wake up," he whispers, unaware that everyone in the room has heard him. Abby moves over to him and lays a hand on his shoulder. "She will, Tony, she will."

NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...

It had been almost a week since Ziva was hurt and her coma was still going strong. Tony spent the entire time at her side; he hadn't been home since before the case. Gibbs had insisted after day three that Tony come back to work and Tony agreed, but only after the hospital staff put him as Ziva's emergency contact so that he would be the first to know when she woke up. Gibbs wasn't sure how Tony managed that, but Tony refused to admit he had the director call and threaten to sue the hospital. Surprisingly, that worked quite well. He always knew he was a genius, somewhere down deep.

He sighs from his chair near Ziva's bedside and moves to get comfortable under a blanket provided by the nurses, after glancing at the clock. Frickin' 2 a.m. Stupid 2 a.m. He doesn't realize he's muttering aloud until he hears a short laugh and a familiar voice say, "You look like crap, Tony."

He sighs again. "Thanks, Ziva, that really makes me feel better... not." He pulls up the blanket and tries to get comfortable again when he suddenly realizes that Ziva just talked to him. He shoots out of his chair to stand by her side. "ZIVA! YOU'RE ALIVE! YOU'RE OKAY!"

She squints up at him and rolls her eyes. "Were you waiting for me to die, Tony, so that you could get my hole puncher?"

He laughs slightly and runs his hands through his haphazard hair. "No... I..uh... I've missed you." He inwardly curses himself because he almost told her that he loves her, but he can't. _What if she doesn't love me back? Besides, I can't tell her that now, she just woke up. She has enough to deal with right now, Dinozzo.  
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Her eyes soften. "I missed you too, Tony." He smiles at her in response and pushes the call button so that the nurse can come and check on her, even though he knows that Ziva will say she's fine. Ziva always says she's fine.

"Did you hear...um anything while you were in the coma?"

"No. I dreamed I was with Tali again, but after that I do not remember anything."

"Oh." He pushes the call button for the nurse and clears his throat awkwardly, suddenly unsure what to say, which is a shock considering Very Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo is hardly ever at a loss for words. "Well... I guess I better call Gibbs and the team and tell them you came out of your coma."

"Coma?" She looks momentarily confused and her eyebrows furrow before her expression becomes angry as she remembers the events that led her to this place. "_Tem'bel."_

"Uh... Just in case you didn't know, Ziva, you weren't out so long that I was able to pick up Hebrew."

She rolls her eyes. "I was calling myself an idiot, Tony."

"Oh. Well, if that's all..."

"Shut-up, Tony. I am not finished. I am a trained former-Mossad agent and current NCIS field agent. I should not have been overcome. I am not a probie. I am not weak. I will never be weak. This... should not have happened."

"Aw... stop beating yourself up, Zee-vah. We all screw up once in a while. I mean, look at McGee. If there was ever a walking mess, he's one! As for me, well, I'm perfect, as always." He smiles his winning smile at her.

"Tony..." her warning tone makes Tony slightly nervous. He knows better than to lie to Ziva David. But he tries anyway just for the heck of it. Plus, sometimes when he lies to her, she gets angry. And she is really hot when she's angry.

"Okay... I'm not perfect. I screw up sometimes too.. Just not as much as McGee."

She rolls her eyes again but lets him get away with the comment. "Did you kill those two men that attacked us? If not... I will take much pleasure in-"

He laughs. "Already done. Me and McGee took care of that."

She decides to change the subject because she doesn't want to think about what happened anymore. "Did McGee ever get his hat off after you superglued it?"

"Yep. But, man, wait until you see his hair. There's whole patches missing. Gibbs was so pissed, but it was worth it watching McGee try to take it off." He imitates McGee grunting and trying to take the hat off. At that moment, the nurse walks in and gives him a strange look which causes Ziva to smile.

"Welcome back, Ziva. I'm just going to check your vitals. Why don't you go get some coffee or something, Agent Dinozzo? I think you might need it..." The nurse continues to assess him like she's wondering whether he should be checked into the mental health ward so Tony puts on a serious face. "Right."

Ziva shouts out after him. "Tony! Wait. What day is it?"

He turns slowly around, knowing she's not going to like this. "Well, you were hurt on last Thursday and it's now Wednesday." Ziva's mouth forms a large 'o' shape and then she sighs. "Great, now my muscles are weak. I'm going to have to build them up again."

Tony decides to lighten the situation. "As long as you don't use me as a punching bag, my little ninja."

"Not a bad idea." The nurse shoos Tony out of the room and attends to Ziva.

NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...

The first to arrive are Abby and McGee. Abby rushes into the room and lands on Ziva's bed with a bounce. "Ziva, Ziva, Ziva, Ziva! You're awake! I'm so glad. I mean, wow, Ziva, take long enough to wake up much?"

"Abby, how many Caf-Pows did you have today?" Tony glances at her like he's scared of what she's going to do next.

"Not that many, Tony. Only five or so. I've been up all night, but it's soo much fun. You should try it sometime. Really, really, you should. Yep, you should. It would be sooo awesome. I mean, like really beyond awesome. It would be totally awesome. We could hang and watch movies and-"

"Five caf-pows, Abby, really?" The glare Abby shoots his way effectively shuts him up.

"So, Ziva, did he do it yet? Huh? Did he, did he, did he? I brought my tape recorder! See!" She shoves the tape recorder in Ziva's face.

Ziva looks completely confused. "Do what, Abby? I do not understand."

In a flash, Tony realizes Abby is talking about him proposing to Ziva and he grabs Abby's arm and motions that he hasn't said anything yet about being in love with her, let alone proposing. Who knows where Abby got that idea? He never even said he was going to propose.

Abby pouts at Tony. "Really? Aw... c'mon, be a man, Dinozzo!" This causes McGee to start choking on his cup of coffee as he tries to hold back his laughter.

"Shut up, McSingle, as if you're any better off." This does, in fact, shut McGee up, although Ziva still has no idea what anyone is talking about.

At that moment, Ducky and Gibbs walk in.

"How ya' feeling, David?" Gibbs gives her one of his rare smiles and she smiles weakly back.

"Fine, Gibbs," she says even as Ducky is busy checking all her vitals. The man can't help it.

Finally, Ducky settles back and smiles in satisfaction. You are in good condition, my dear."

"Do we not have a case, today? How is everyone able to be here?"

Tony is also confused that Gibbs, Ducky, McGee, and Abby could all take off work, that is, until McGee kindly reminded Ziva that it was a little after 2 a.m. in the morning. "But, yes, Ziva, we did manage to finish up the warehouse case. Turns out the two men we killed dragged the body into the warehouse and were about to load it into their car and dispose of it when you two turned up. The man was an accomplice of theirs that they had killed earlier that day."

"And the little girl?"

Gibbs answered instead. "She was an unfortunate witness to the shooting so they beat her up and were going to leave her to die. We took her to the hospital and were able to locate her family. She's fine now."

This information caused Ziva to growl and her hands to clench as if she'd love to get her hands on those two men. Only Tony noticed this though and his eyes clearly told her to calm down, which Ziva surprisingly responded to and relaxed. The rest of the team watched this silent conversation in amazement as always. Although, none of them were surprised anymore that Tony and Ziva could communicate without words because they had been doing this for years.

Gibbs clears his throat to snap Ziva and Tony out of their staring match and announces his departure. Ducky and McGee decide to leave as well, and Abby only leaves after McGee practically drags her out of the room.

Finally, Tony and Ziva are alone again. But suddenly, neither knows what to say. So, Tony does the only thing a man like him can do in this situation. He grabs the remote and turns on the television. "They've got to have some decent movie on at 2 a.m., right Ziva?"

He looks up to find Ziva scrutinizing him. "Tony..."

"Yesss...?"

"What did Abby mean when she asked if you had told me yet? I did not understand."

Her eyes are practically plowing through him, as if she can see into his soul. _I should do it, now. I should tell her I love her. You can do it, Dinozzo! If you can memorize all the movies that James Bond had a role in, you can do this. _

But he chickens out. "Uhh... she.. I.. well..."

"Just spit it out already, Dinozzo, or I will come help you."

Her threatening expression, which clearly was left over from her Mossad days, left him feeling somewhere between slightly scared and reveling in her beauty once again. "Right. It was just a stupid thing. I was just going to tell you about the new trick I played on McGee this week. I put superglue his keyboard."

"Tony!"

He shrugs. "What? The guy had it coming. He forgot to put extra whip cream in my coffee yesterday when he went on the coffee run. We've been working together for how many years and he can't even remember the important things? What a shame..."

Ziva snorts and shakes her head, but doesn't respond. He takes it as his cue to go. "I'll be back tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Ziva."

She smiles. "Goodnight, my little hairy butt."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone! Finally, absolute TIVA in this chapter. Sorry for dragging it out, but it doesn't seem realistic for either character to just say right away that they love each other because they are both pretty guarded with their feelings. Please review! I only got one review last chapter which made me kind of sad :( but thanks to Dark but so Lovely for posting it! **

**If anyone has any suggestions as to what the 'surprise' should be about one of the NCIS characters (read story summary if you don't know what I'm talking about), please supply some because I'm not sure what it should be anymore! I'll consider any other suggestions about the story too! Thanks and Merry Christmas!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or its characters... yet.  
><strong>

It wasn't long before Ziva found herself back at work, although she was on desk duty until Gibbs deemed her fit for field work, which pretty much meant she had to stay on his good side until then.

Ever since she woke up from her coma, Tony had become her shadow. He visited her for hours at the hospital, even spending the night sometimes. He drove her home from the hospital and offered to stay at her apartment while she was recuperating, but she refused. Frankly, he was driving her CRAZY! The man would not leave her alone! She knew he blamed himself for the accident, but it was getting ridiculous! He even offered to do her laundry! Tony and laundry! What the heck was wrong with him? As much as she loved seeing his handsome face everyday (not that she would tell him that because he already had an inflated ego), she needed her space as well.

She clearly remembers the day she started work again. The elevator dinged and she walked out. A few agents called "Welcome back!" to her but other than that, it felt like a normal workday, which was what she wanted. She hates attention. As a former spy, Ziva was always taught that attention is bad.

Yes, everything felt entirely normal, until Tony saw her.

"Ziva! Welcome back!" He rushed to her side and pulled out her chair, helping her sit down.

"Tony. I am fine. You do not need to help me."

"I'm just being a gentleman, Zee-vah. Chill out."

"Chill out? Why would I want to become cold?"

"No, it means calm down."

Her mouth made an 'o' shape but she did not say anything else. She glared at him when he reached to turn her computer on for her and he slowly backed away with his hands up. She waited until he sat down at his desk to turn on her computer.

At that moment, McGee walked into the room with Abby and Gibbs. In about two seconds, Abby lunged at Ziva. "ZIVA! YOU'RE BACK!"

Ziva could feel Abby choking off her air supply and promptly told her so, which made Gibbs smirk. Tony, meanwhile, was making kissing noises in the background, until Gibbs slapped his head.

"Welcome back, Ziver."

"Thanks, Gibbs. So, uh, what case are we working on, now?"

Tony was the first to reply. "A marine was murdered by one of his ex-wives. The man should have seen it coming though. I mean, he had five ex-wives and they were all really ticked off at him."

At Gibbs' glare, Tony realized what he just said. "Uh... Not that having ex-wives is bad, or anything. I mean, you have ex-wives Boss and you're a very loved person."

Gibbs only grunted in response and Tony looked relieved that he wasn't in trouble. His relieved look only made Ziva and McGee snicker at him.

Ziva sighs as she remembers that day. It is now two weeks later and Tony has still not said a word to her. She has waited and waited, but he only glances at her longingly when he does not think she notices, or lets his hand linger slightly longer on her shoulder at times. He thinks she does not know. But she does. And it is killing her inside that he refuses to tell her the truth she heard during her coma: he loves her.

She is sick of waiting for him to get the guts to tell her, so today, she decides to take action. As soon as Tony heads to the men's restroom, she quickly gets up and follows him, ignoring McGee's strange look.

As she walks into the restroom, Tony is singing a Frank Sinatra song rather loudly:

"...You might refuse to stay  
>And so the best that I can do is pray<p>

Luck be a lady tonight  
>Luck be a lady tonight<br>Luck if you've ever been a lady to begin with  
>Luck be a lady toni-"<p>

At that moment, he realizes that Ziva is standing a few feet away, watching him.

"AHH! ZIVA! What the hell?"

"We need to talk, Tony."

He pulls up his zipper and walks to the sink to wash his hands. "And we have to do that here, in the men's bathroom? Have you not heard of a phone call, Ziva?"

She doesn't reply and moves quickly to the door, locking it. He finishes washing his hands and looks at her casually, waiting for her to start talking. He knows not to rush her by now, otherwise she'll run scared.

As it is, she looks nervous. "I heard you when I was in my coma."

His brows furrow in confusion as he wonders what she means, but suddenly he realizes. "You lied? You heard me say that I... you know?"

Her eyes soften as she gets right up in his space, her lithe body pressing tightly to his. "That you what, Tony? Say it."

He gulps at her look: she looks like she wants to devour him. "I.. I love.. you." The last word comes out in a whisper but Ziva takes what she can get.

She leans up and gently brushes her lips against his. "As do I."

His mind can't comprehend what she's saying, because he's completely fixed on her kiss. The taste of her soft, supple lips against his. Her scent as it envelops him, and the curves of her soft body pressed against his form. "What?"

"I love you too, Tony." This shocks him out of his trance and he leans back to look at her. He is about to respond, but her lips recapture his as her arms move around his neck.

Ziva can feel Tony's strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her even closer to his muscular chest. His tongue begs entrance to her mouth, and she complies by opening her mouth wider. As his tongue explores, she revels in the sensation of security she feels in his arms, even as the scent of him overcomes her. He is much gentler than she expected, but she is able to see why the women love him so because he is an amazing kisser.

Much too soon, Tony pulls away. His eyes are serious as they assess if she is okay with what just happened. She smiles at him, when they suddenly hear a knock on the door.

Ziva backs up, her eyes still seductive and connected with his, as she unlocks the door and walks out, pushing the surprised intern aside. Tony walks after her, watching her waist sway gently.

They get back to their desks and try to pretend like nothing has changed, but it has.

And what are they going to do now? Because Gibbs doesn't like it when his agents break his rules. Especially, Rule #12.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: No, nada, nope. Not mine. **

After Ziva kissed him and said she loved him, Tony was shocked, to say the least. Because Ziva is not a person who easily shares her feelings with anyone, especially Tony. But now, he's so confused and frustrated because she's acting like nothing's changed between them. He asked her if she wanted to come over and watch a movie yesterday, but she refused. He attempted to kiss her goodbye after work when they were alone, and she moved her head swiftly to the side so that he ended up kissing her cheek instead. The woman was so indecisive and Tony wished she would just make up her mind already. Did she love him or not? She sure wasn't acting like she did and it was tearing him apart inside, not that he would admit that to anyone. He has a reputation to fulfill. He knew they had to talk, somewhere where Gibbs (who was already getting suspicious of the tension between them) wouldn't overhear them.

A sudden thought came to him: The elevator.

All he had to do was corner her... somehow. Too bad they didn't have a book for this sort of thing: _How to Corner a Ninja in 10 Easy Steps._ Or something like that. As it was, he could barely get her alone for two seconds, let alone long enough to talk to her about what was going on. He knew he was going to have to recruit help, so he turned to his trusty sidekick: Probie.

He tried to ask Tim casually, when Ziva wasn't around. "Hey, Probie."

McGee looks up from where he was intently concentrating on his computer, probably hacking into the CIA or something. "What, Dinozzo?"

"I need a favor."

"I'm not loaning you money, Tony."

"I'm not asking for money, McGee."

"Dinozzo, I'm not giving you Sheila, the new intern's number either."

McGee is surprised when Tony doesn't perk up. Usually, the mention of fresh meat made him pretty happy (and made him drool too). "Look, Mc-know-it-all, I just need a favor, okay? I need to get Ziva alone."

Tim looks up in confusion. "Okaay. Why would you want to do that?"

Tony glares at him. "Don't ask questions, Probie. Besides, you owe me."

"No I don't, Tony."

"I fixed your computer from that virus, remember?"

"That was almost a year, ago!"

"Aw, c'mon, Probie. Do it out of the goodness of your nerdy, little heart."

Tim sighs. "Fine. What do you want me to do?"

Dinozzo stands up and walks to Tim's desk. "Okay, here's the plan..."

NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS...NCIS

Ziva rubs her eyes as they wrap up their latest case. They had been in the building for over 24 hours and she is in desperate need of some sleep. Maybe that's why her defenses were down, because she was so tired. She should've seen it coming, but she didn't.

She's inside the elevator, going to the parking garage so she can go home, and the door is just about to close, when Tim and Tony walk in. The moment she sees Tony, she attempts to get off: she doesn't want to talk to him. But Tim, for some reason, has dropped his backpack on the floor of the elevator and everything has spilled everywhere. Without thinking, she leans over to help him pick the items up and the elevator doors close. She feels the elevator moving downward as she continues to help Tim (at this point she is helping more to avoid Tony's gaze since she is now stuck in the elevator with him), and she hears them open again and Tony leaves. She breaths a sigh of relief that Tony has left and stands up, handing Tim his backpack. But it isn't McGee who is looking at her: it's Tony. She's been tricked. McGee had dropped Tony's backpack, pretended to pick up his stuff, and then the two had switched places when she was intently picking up the materials to avoid looking at Tony.

He calmly pushes the override switch and the elevator comes to a halt. They stare at each other in silence for awhile, until Tony asks her, "Why are you doing this, Ziva?"

She refuses to meet his eyes. "What am I doing, Tony?"

He cups her face with his palm and forces her chin up until she is staring into his blue eyes. "You told me you loved me." The way Tony says it, with his jaw clenched and the pain in his eyes, it as if his heart is breaking. And she knows it is her fault, but she remains silent.

"Ziva. Tell me why you kissed me and told me that you loved me and now you're avoiding me."

"I cannot, Tony."

He steps back from her. "It's not that hard. Just say: Tony, I was being a stupid chick and it will never happen again."

She lightly punches his arm but doesn't laugh at his attempt to lighten the moment. "I am... scared."

Tony feels his eyebrows go up. Ziva, scared? The fearless ninja who had once leaped on top of him and held a gun to his chest?

He moves closer to her and pulls her into his arms. "You don't have to be scared, baby. I won't hurt you."

He feels, more than hears, quiet sobs as her shoulders begin to shake. Yet, she suddenly remembers who she is, and she moves away from him, no longer crying because she was taught that crying demonstrates weakness.

"I am not scared of you, Tony. I am scared... of-of this." She gestures between them. "All my life, those I love have died. My sister, Tali, my mother, my best friend when I was a girl, Michael..." Tony grimaces at the mention of Michael, but there is no condemnation in her eyes, not anymore, not after all they have been through together in the last few years."I am afraid of... losing you. I am afraid of something more permanent. I am afraid of letting you see... me as I am. I am strong, Tony. I was taught to be strong and not need anyone. And I do not know how to need you, Tony, even though I love you and want you."

Tony stays silent, absorbing her words. Finally, he says something that Ziva will never forget. "I love you, Ziva and I'm not letting you go, no matter how long it takes for you to realize it's okay to rely on someone else once in a while."

With that, he pulls her into his embrace again, gently kisses her (not passionately, but tenderly, showing he understands she is too emotionally overwhelmed right now to deal with anything more). He flips the switch and the elevator starts again. As they get off at the parking garage, Tony grins at Ziva impishly. "So... want to watch a movie at my place? I'll order pizza and we can make fun of McGee's new haircut that he got today!"

"Tony..."

"Okay, fine. We can eat and watch pizza. We can make fun of McGee's haircut tomorrow, when he can hear us."

She shrugs and smiles at him. "Okay."

They decide to meet up at his place in two hours, after they have both slept a while. Tony walks Ziva to her car and gently kisses her. He's surprised when she loops her arms around his neck and returns his kiss passionately, moaning into his mouth as her tongue and his collide. Her scent overwhelms him and her curls gently tickle his face as her soft hands caress his hair.

After a minute, they break away and try to catch their breath. "Wow, Ziva."

She just winks at him and gets in her car, leaving him to watch as she drives away, wondering what the future holds for them.

**Please review, you guys are awesome :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone! Just a warning, this chapter contains some sexual/adult themes.**

**Disclaimer: ****Characters/NCIS not mine. That's so depressing I think I will eat some chocolate. (I had a cookie, in case you were wondering and it was very good.)  
><strong>

Tony made sure his apartment was clean before Ziva showed up. He had to spend an hour picking up old chinese food cartons and random articles of clothing. Being a bachelor had some benefits, except when it came to cleaning up.

By the time Ziva arrives, fresh from her nap, Tony had already ordered the pizza.

"Hey Zee-vah! I already ordered the pizza. Your favorite: cheese with pineapple and green peppers." Although, for the life of him, he does not know how the woman can eat pineapple on pizza. But he'll pick it off if it makes her happy.

Ziva smiles and shyly puts her arms around Tony's neck. "Thanks." She gives him a quick peck on the cheek and sits down on the couch. Tony tries not to stare at her. She looks... beautiful. She's wearing tight black pants with a green sweater and her hair is down, the way he likes it.

"Ahem... So, what movie do you want to watch?"

She smiles slyly and crouches down to look at his vast movie collection. He tries not stare at... well, you know.

"I believe we should watch, Men in Black, yes? The one with the butterflies."

He grins. "Uhh, bugs, Ziva. Big, giant, ugly alien bugs."

She shrugs. "Whatever. I just want to watch Will Smith run around everywhere and get sweaty."

He shudders slightly even as a spark of jealousy surprises him. "You are a sick chick, David."

"I know." She winks at him and goes to get the door because the pizza delivery man is here."

Tony starts the movie and they eat in relative silence, except for when Tony explains a certain plot point to Ziva. After they are both finished, Ziva cautiously moves next to Tony on the couch and he puts his arm around her, encouraging her to curl up against his side, which he does. At some point, she seems to get bored with the movie and starts kissing his arm and neck.

He suppresses a moan. "Ziva..."

"Yes?" She continues to kiss behind his ear. "I'm having trouble concentrating on the movie."

"Then, do not watch it. Maybe we should do something... else."

He turns to look at her and raises his eyebrows. "Are you sure you're ready for that... after Somalia?"

She cringes slightly at the mention of Somalia but nods. "Yes, Tony. I want you to make love to me."

He grins. "Okay then!" and pretends to start taking of his shirt and pants, thinking she'll become alarmed at how fast he is moving. Which she does.

"W-wait..."

He grins again but his expression quickly becomes serious. "I'm just kidding, Zee-vah. We'll take it slow, okay?"

She nods and hits his arm in a slight reprimand for teasing her as he turns toward her and begins to gently kiss her.

The kisses quickly become more heated and Tony picks Ziva up, carrying her to his bedroom, and deposits her on the bed.

She smiles up at him and sits up. While he's watching, she slowly takes off her shirt and unclasps her bra, seductively pulling it off. "What are you waiting for, Tony? Make love to me."

He grins and pulls off his clothes, helping her with hers as well, and he quickly climbs into the bed, smothering her with kisses and allowing his hands to explore areas they have never dared touch before. Ziva moans as he touches her and he realizes with a start sometime later that this is the best sex he's ever had.

* * *

><p>By the end of that weekend, they decide to tell Gibbs, just not right away.<p>

"Ziva... we need to tell him." He can barely concentrate because Ziva is sitting on his couch and kissing lower and lower...

"Mmmm... hush my little hairy butt. We will tell him later."

"Okay..."

And come Monday, they did plan to tell him, but there was a huge case that put Gibbs in a really bad mood, so they decided to wait. The case wasn't done on Tuesday either, and by Wednesday they had spent about 72 hours in the NCIS building with little sleep, little time to themselves, and more importantly little time to kiss.

Surprisingly, Ziva was the first to crack. She was just walking past the stairway in the main NCIS room when she saw Tony standing in the little alcove, talking on his phone to his father, who was begging for money in a non-begging way. "No, Dad. I can't forward you anymore money. I know you don't need it, Dad, but you just hinted to me that you did because you were saying how you wish you could go skiing in the alps with that famous Earl... No, Dad, I realize that wasn't a hint and that you were just trying to keep up a friendly conversation. Yeah... Look, I'll forward the money to you as as Christmas present, all right? Yeah, don't mention it. Bye." Tony shuts his phone with a snap and growls at it, not realizing Ziva is right there. She looks around cautiously and, seeing no one nearby to observe, places her hands around his middle, kissing his neck. "Rough couple of days, huh?"

He smiles. "Yeah." He turns toward her and also looks around carefully, before gently kissing her mouth. The kiss quickly escalates because both have not been able to show any sign of physical affection in a few days. In fact, it becomes so heated that they forget where they are.

"Ahem." They both break apart and look up to find Gibbs watching them with somewhere between a smirk and an 'I'm going to kill you for breaking one of my rules' look.

"DINOZZO! DAVID! My office, now." He gestures toward the elevator and they follow.

They ride in silence until Gibbs flips the override switch. He turns toward them. "You are my best agents and I expect my agents to follow the damn rules."

Tony tries to smooth the situation over. "Boss.. it just kind of happened. We're sorry. We'll keep it out of the office, we promise."

Gibbs doesn't say anything, just studies the two of them with his piercing blue eyes. "When I told you to not be like me, Dinozzo, I didn't mean start having sex with David."

"Gibbs... I-"

"Be quiet, David. I'm not done. You have broken my rules. If I catch you kissing, groping, or doing anything of the sort while at work again, I will take both of your badges. I don't need this to interfere with the dynamic of my team! Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

Ziva looks like she wants to lash out at Gibbs but a nudge from Tony gets her to respond submissively. "Yes, sir."

"Good." He slaps both of them on the back of the head.

With that, he flips the switch and walks out, throwing over his shoulder. "Send me an invitation to the wedding."

Tony and Ziva look at each other both in alarm. "Wedding?" Tony manages to squeak out.

Ziva just grins. "Not for a long while, my little hairy butt. I have to teach you how to be civilized first."

**Please review and I will mentally share my cookies with you! Thanks :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks to those who reviewed! You guys are awesome! Did you get the cookies? ;) By the way, did anyone happen to watch NCIS this week? Finally, some TIVA this season! I was getting so excited about them maybe getting together until stupid CI-Ray had to ruin it all. So, if I put him in this story, he will be killed off to revenge ruining last night's episode... haha :)  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: ****Ditto  
><strong>

They had to tell the rest of the team. Now that they had told Gibbs, everyone else should have been a piece of cake, or so they thought. They decided to tell McGee first because Abby could not keep a secret to save her life.

The next day, Tony and Ziva casually walked up to McGee's desk.

Tony threw a pencil at McGee. "Hey! Probie! We have something to tell you."

McGee's eyebrows went up in confusion and he looked back and forth from Ziva to Tony. "You got her pregnant, didn't you Tony?"

In two seconds flat Ziva is standing behind McGee and has pinned his arm behind his back. "You want to say that again, McGee?"

Tony just laughs while McGee stutters that no he does not want to say it again. Ziva lets him go with a smile of satisfaction. Tony reminds himself to not get on her bad side. She would do a lot more than send him to sleep on the couch for the night. He could end up with a broken arm, crazy chick.

"We are dating." Ziva smiles shyly at Tony.

McGee looks shocked. "You two? Dating? Finally!" Without another word, he picks up the phone. "Abby. You owe me fifty dollars. Tony and Ziva are dating."

They hear Abby swear over the phone and then a squeal of excitement as she realizes that Tony and Ziva are dating.

Tony feels slightly hurt. "Wait... Abby voted against us?"

McGee only smirks. "She didn't think you'd have the guts to ask her out, Dinozzo."

"Well, Mc-" Abby suddenly bounds out of nowhere and hugs both Tony and Ziva.

"Wow, you guys! Congratulations! I'm so proud of you, Tony! So, how did you ask her out? Did it have something to do with a movie reference, because if it did, then I at least get some money back!"

Tony looks at Abby in disbelief while Ziva only laughs. "Excuse me, but I don't use movie references that often."

Everyone replies in unison, including Gibbs who had just walked into the bullpen. "Yes, you do."

Gibbs looks up from his work. "Abby? Do you have something for me?"

Abby sighs and gets out her wallet, handing Gibbs twenty-five dollars. "Here, Gibbs."

Both Tony and Ziva feel shocked. "Gibbs?"

Gibbs barely looks up at them. "What?"

Tony turned back to Ziva. "Can you imagine, our own Boss..."

"Got a problem with that, Dinozzo?"

Tony gulps. "Uh... no boss. Go ahead and bet on us all you want."

Gibbs smirks but didn't reply as he followed Abby and McGee down to her lab.

Tony glances at Ziva. "Can you believe..."

"Well, Tony, at least he bet that you would have the guts to ask me out, yes?"

"Yeah, I guess. I just feel like a little toy in their game right now..."

They walk back to their desks and work for a while, glancing at each other once in a while, happy that they can do so without it being awkward now.

"Hey, Ziva. Do you want to watch the second Men in Black tonight? You know, more alien bugs? I know how you like that." Tony starts wiggling his fingers and making creepy noises, "Wooooooo, scary... wooo-"

"DINOZZO!" Gibbs, as usual, seems to appear out of nowhere.

"Yes, boss?"

"Stop acting like a child. I don't want to lose my money if Ziva suddenly realizes she's too good for you."

"Sorry, boss."

"Now, gear up. Abby's found something."

Both agents grab their gear and follow Gibbs to the elevator. He smirks and makes a point of standing between them, so they don't get any crazy ideas. Tony has a feeling this could be a long week.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks to all the awesome people who reviewed! This is the last chapter, but I'll probably end up doing another Ziva/Tony fic sometime (hopefully soon...maybe). I deeply appreciate everyone who read, alerted, and reviewed from the bottom of my heart. You guys made me cry with joy. Okay, well, I didn't cry but I still really appreciate it. haha ;)**

**Disclaimer: I wonder what would happen if I created a disclaimer for my disclaimer? Would that disclaim what my disclaimer is disclaiming and mean that I now owned NCIS and it's characters (which I don't)? Hmmm...**

Ziva and Tony walked into Tony's apartment after another exhausting week at work. The good news: it was Friday and they had the whole weekend to relax and spend time together. The bad news: Abby wouldn't leave them alone.

RING! Ziva's phone buzzed for about the millionth time and Tony groaned.

"Ziva, just pick it up already. She's not going to leave us alone until you do."

"Fine. I will pick it up, but pause the movie. This is my favorite part." Tony sighs and does as she asks even though he wants to get the movie over with. 27 dresses is not his thing. His reputation would be absolutely destroyed if anyone found out he was watching a chick flick. Again.

"Hello? Hi Abby. What is it you want? Oh... uh, we are just watching a movie. Noo... I do not think so. Yes, I was not by my phone and it was on silent. Uh, huh. Yes, well, we will certainly think about it. No, no, of course we want to go. It's just with work and all... You did? That was very nice of you. Okay. I will tell, Tony. Bye!"

Tony pokes his head out from inside the fridge and hands her a beer. He looks at her apprehensively. "What did she want?"

"She invited us to another Brain Matter concert, since we could not make it the first time. She already bought us tickets."

Tony slumps to the floor and buries his head in his hands. "No, no, no. My poor ears. We have got to get out of this, Ziva. Have you listened to their music? It sounds like an angry cat threw up on a screaming banshee."

Ziva only laughs and drops to the floor beside him. "She quilted me into it, Tony. I had no choice."

"Uh, it's guilt-ed, Ziva. But-"

She slowly runs her hand up and down his bare arm; her fingernails scrape gently against his skin. "Do not correct me, Tony, or I will not help you feel better."

He only raises an eyebrow. "And how exactly can you help me feel better after getting that horrible news? It's worse than Gibbs telling us that he's getting married again."

She only smiles suggestively and places a hand high on his thigh. "If you have not figured it out by now..."

"Uh... yeah. Right.. um, okay. Sure."

She laughs and gently stands up, walking to the bedroom. He enjoys the view and does not realize he's still sitting there, watching her, when she turns toward him, her luscious curls falling over her shoulder. "Are you coming, Tony?"

He springs up and practically runs toward her. "Yes, ma'am." For saying that, she slugs him hard in the arm.

"Do not call me ma'am."

"I know, I know. Or you'll kill me or leave me severely bruised. I got it, Ziv."

She smiles and begins to kiss him as they back toward the bedroom...

* * *

><p>It wasn't until later that he realizes it: she is the one in life that matters most to him and he is in love with her.<p>

They haven't said, 'I love you' since the day they admitted they had feelings for each other, but Tony feels an overwhelming urge to say it again, now, after they have made love.

"Ziva?"

"Hmm?" She turns toward him, the sheets falling seductively off her shoulders. "What?"

"I... uh... I love.. you."

He didn't expect her to smile so widely or for her eyes to light up like a spark had been lit in her soul.

She only kisses him tenderly and whispers back what he so desperately wants to hear. "I love you too, Tony."

He sighs and places his muscular arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling in satisfaction, until she speaks again. "Even your little hairy butt."

"Seriously, Ziva? You had to mention that now?"

She only chuckles and kisses him again, and he revels in the feeling of being with the one who matters most to him.

* * *

><p>Gibbs is sipping some burboun and working on his boat, when something - a shift in the atmosphere - gives him pause.<p>

He smiles in satisfaction and grins. "About time you realized how important she is to you, Dinozzo."

* * *

><p>Abby and Tim are playing a video game, egging each other on, when Abby suddenly pauses the game.<p>

"Timmy, did you feel that?"

"Uh. I don't think so. Usually I don't feel it when you kill one of my characters. At least not physically."

"Ugh. No, not that. I felt a warm glow. I think... maybe Tony and Ziva have realized how much they care about each other."

Tim only gives her a weird look. "There's no way you could know that, Abby. You're just fantasizing because you want them to get married."

"TIM! Maybe he proposed! Oh. My. Gosh. I have to call Ziva. Right now."

Tim grabs her wrist to prevent her from reaching her phone. "You have to stop bothering them. We'll see them on Monday."

"Wow, McGee. You just suck the fun out of everything, don't you?"

"Abby..." His warning tone doesn't phase her.

"I'm so going to beat you at this, you know."

"No, you're not!" The two resumed playing the game without another word.

* * *

><p>Tony and Ziva look at each other and smile, both still lying in bed.<p>

"Do you know how much you matter to me, Ziva?"

She smiles. "Are you always this sentimental after making love, Tony? I do not remember you being this way last time."

"No. I just care about you, Zee-vah. Geesh. Isn't a man allowed to have feelings?"

"Tony, most of your feeling are about food or young-looking models. I am just surprised that's all."

"Ouch." He winces and sit ups slightly, the sheets falling to his stomach. "I'm hurt. I have more depth than that."

She grins and gently begins to kiss him. "Clearly. I love you."

"I love you too."

Ziva is just drifting off to sleep when Tony's next words startle her awake.

"So, Zee-vah, how many little Dinozzo's do you want?"


End file.
